Kale Soup!

Happy, happy Wednesday!  WOW!  Wednesday already!  The kids are back at school today, it is still freezing!  Very beautiful outside, but very cold!  I think today is a perfect day to make cinnamon rolls!  I will share those next week!

I wanted to share today one of my favorite soups!  AND this is one of our family favorites, I would say if not THE FAVORITE!  It is really easy and soooo very delicious!  It is similar to the soup from olive garden, though not exact.  I think you will love it! It is perfect for a day like today!

Start off chicken broth, you can make your own, you can use a canned broth, I like this base from Sams Club, I don’t always have homemade broth around… I need to work on that :) Oh I should can some… later post!!  Have 6 cups of broth in a large pot.

Brown 1 pound of sausage, I use the simple roll of sausage, regular flavor.  You could use Italian or spicy, whatever one you want.  I prefer the regular, those little caraway seeds just bug me! Haha! After the sausage is browned, drain the  grease from the sausage .

Slice and chop 5 medium russet potatoes, This is the best way to cut them!  In half lengthwise and then in thin slices.

Add a 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper.  If you want it hotter , you can add more!

Add 1/2 tsp salt.

Bring all of those ingredients a boil and then turn down to a simmer until the potatoes are fork tender. ( fork tender is when you can poke a fork through the potato easily)

Add one cup of heavy cream to the soup.  It should still be simmering… not boiling!

Now to the Kale…Six cups of Kale and this is  VERY IMPORTANT!!  You need to rinse your kale.  Individually, each leaf and open the leaf up and rinse down the spine of the leaf.  There is sand in there and if you do not get it all…… gross sand will be at the bottom of your soup… I speak from experience, it was not pleasant!

Chop Kale into bite size pieces.  You need 6 cups!

Add kale to the soup, it will look like so much kale, don’t worry!  It gets quite small!

 

Simmer the soup for about 5 min, you want the kale to still have a little texture to it.  Serve with Peasant bread recipe here, or any bread really!

SOOOO good!  It is even great tasting the next day!  You can also throw some parmesan cheese on top if you want!

Once again :)

You need

6 cups of chicken broth

5 russet potatoes chopped and sliced ( cut in half length wise and then in thin slices about a 1/3 inch slices)

1 pound sausage ( browned and drained)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 cup heavy cream

6 cups kale

Bring chicken broth, potatoes, browned sausage , salt and the crushed red pepper to a boil. Lower to a simmer until potatoes are fork tender ( HELPFUL HINT: potatoes are fork tender, when a fork slides easily through the potato) About 15 min.

Once potatoes are done, chop and rinse the kale.  Add kale and heavy cream.  Once again simmer until kale is al dente ( has a little bite to it, you don’t want mushy)

Serve with fresh hot bread!  For added flavor, grate a little fresh parmesan cheese on top!

I hope you try it and if you do, let me know!  I LOVE hearing from you all!

Have a happy, wonderful day!  Keep warm if you are really anywhere right now….. I hear there is snow is south Carolina!  I am off to exercise ( dancing Disney with the kids!  Hey it counts!  I get sweaty!) and make some cinnamon rolls!

HUGE HUGS!

Lara

SMILE BOOK!

1. We saw Frozen!  I loved it!  Charli and Lucy loved it!

2.Ran into my dad at Wally world ( walmart)  I LOVED SEEING HIM!

3. Playing Pictionary with the kids last night, so very cute and crude drawings, the best was lucys flower and hestons elephant!  so cute

4.Thrifting with my friend Ashlee!  Super cute finds at super cheap prices!  You gotta love a 75 cent blouse!